Plantation physicians’ office manager accused of fraudulently obtaining controlled substance – NBC 6 South Florida

An office manager for physicians in Plantation was arrested after she was accused of fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, authorities said.

Denise Sherizan Ali, 49, was arrested Monday on seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, an arrest report said.

According to the report, Sunrise Police began an investigation last month into suspected fraudulent prescription activity involving controlled substances dispensed at the Publix Pharmacy at 12500 W. Sunrise Boulevard.

Investigators said Ali was identified as the office manager of a medical practice in Plantation where an operator became aware of suspected fraudulent prescription activity after receiving a refill request from a pharmacy for a person who had never been a patient of the practice.

That prompted the operator to review controlled substance prescriptions associated with the operator and the operator’s father’s DEA credentials.

The operator said her practice doesn’t normally prescribe controlled substances, but she found multiple controlled substance prescriptions she said hadn’t been authorized by her or her father that were issued to people who weren’t patients of the practice, the report said.

They included multiple prescriptions for Temazepam, a schedule 4 controlled substance under Florida law, that were issued in the name of Ali, despite Ali not being treated as a patient of the practice, the report said.

Records showed Ali had obtained Temazepam from the pharmacy seven times between April and November of 2024, and the assistant pharmacy manager said Ali was a regular customer who he’d seen about once a month for several years, the report said.

Ali told investigators when she needed medication, she asked the person who handled prescriptions for the practice to call the pharmacy, adding that she needed the medication for discomfort from a spinal surgery, the report said.

She admitted that she didn’t obtain authorization from the physicians at the practice, the report said.

Ali, of Sunrise, was booked into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.